The End of Black Ghost
by IrisNoelle
Summary: The Demon Statue is destroyed and the heroes have fallen, but this isn't the end for them.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – When You Wish Upon a Shooting Star

Author's Note: Derived from the ending of episode 48. Also an attempt at making some sense of the hot mess that is the God's War AU conclusion arc, but that will come in a later chapter or sequel to this story. This story picks up with the last six minutes and 38 seconds of "When You Wish Upon a Shooting Star" for cohesion.

Disclaimer: I _**do not**_ own Cyborg 009. The characters in this story were created by Shotaro Ishinomori.

009 fires his blaster at the masculine brain in the center of the cluster. The beam is deflected by an invisible barrier.

"What?! A barrier?" 009 growls in surprise.

"Why bother? The war has already begun," the masculine brain informs 009.

"Where?" 009 demands that the brain elaborate.

Back on Earth, all anti-supersonic wave cannons have morphed into ballistic missiles. Two soldiers stand by, looking confused and alarmed.

The feminine brain continues to explain that upon seeing the missiles, the warring nations will "panic and begin firing at each other!"

"ARMAGEDDON," the childish brain happily chimes in.

"There is no way I can let that happen," asserts 009 as he fires at the computers and other machinery surrounding the brains.

"You still don't understand," the masculine brain continues, "No weapon in the world will work against us."

"Even if you were as strong as you say, _we will not die_!" the female brain informs 009.

"Of course you will," 009 determinedly informs Her.

"You will think differently once we explain," the Child sneers.

"We are the true form of Black Ghost and yet, we are not," She says.

He adds, "We are merely one cell within the network of evil throughout the universe. This network can't be destroyed, so Black Ghost is eternal!"

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"

"It's true! From where we came, millions of others will follow!" cheered the Child.

"And I'll be ready!" 009 yells, as he resumes firing at the complex machinery.

"If you're one cell within a network, then I'll destroy every last one…and I'll start with you!"

"But you must end with all mankind," the Child retorts.

009 expresses confusion at the Child's comment. The masculine brain says that He, She, and the Child represent all of humanity. She carries His explanation further by telling 009 that the true form of Black Ghost resides in the hearts of all human beings. 009 refuses to believe them.

"You think you're the one exception who represents all that is good?" He says in a condescending manner.

"All humans are evil from the moment they are born," the feminine brain replies.

"Instead of uniting, they fight each other."

"They battle over religion, land, and money. Every war originates from this inherent greed and evil. As for you, you enjoyed fighting your enemies; so that makes you as responsible for this epidemic as anyone!"

"As long as humans exist, so too will evil."

009 concedes with the brains that every human is capable of _some_ evil, but that doesn't mean that they are purely bad.

"We're forced to fight to preserve what is good in us and I will continue to defend it," he continues.

Somewhere in the ocean near where Yomi once stood, 004 attempts to comfort an inconsolable 003. The others look on sadly, but can't relate to the misery that 003 and 004 have experienced. Just as 004 lost Hilde, 003 will lose 009.

002 has decided that, despite 001's comment that he knowingly sent 009 to his death aboard the Demon Statue, he will do whatever he can to try to save his friend.

Back on said Demon Statue, the machines surrounding the cluster of brains have sustained significant damage. Oddly enough, the Child warns 009 to leave the statue while he can; otherwise he will die in the blast when the Statue explodes. 009 refuses to flee, explaining that he is only one cell in a network of good. Even if he dies, someone will take his place and continue to fight evil.

The interior of the statue begins to glow, blinding 009 in the process. The intense light shines through the eyes of the Statue, as well as forming cracks in other parts of its structure. 009 is sucked out into space just before the statue crumbles. 002 grabs hold of him amidst stray pieces of debris. What's left of the Statue bursts into an orange ball of light. As the light fades in the background, the friends gravitate back to Earth.

009 inquires about the wellbeing of the other cyborgs and Dr. Gilmore. After assuring him that they are safe, 002 informs 009 that he doesn't have enough energy to save both of their lives. 009 frantically implores 002 to let go of him, so that he might save his own life, but 002 has made up his mind. He's not going to let his friend die a slow, painful, and lonely death in the vacuum of space.

As the two heroes fall to Earth, a brother and sister watch what they believe to be a shooting star as it flits across the sky.

End Note: As you can see, this story is meant for fans who have already watched up through episode 48. If, for some reason, you happen to be just a curious user who isn't familiar with Cyborg 009 or you haven't finished the 2001 series (minus God's War), then this story is not going to make sense to you. Continue reading it at your own discretion. Leave a comment, critique, like, etc. Thanks for reading.

Special Thanks: **iamtheflamealchemist** (for posting episode 48 on Youtube); **Chiauve**, **LesbianValley**, and** SkyGhost** (new followers on Tumblr)

-IN


	2. Reawakening

Chapter 2 – Reawakening

Author's Note: Here it is! The real beginning of this fanfic! This chapter's going to be pretty short. The Sigma chain represents the passage of time.

In the middle of the ocean, the remaining seven cyborgs are watching the evening sky sullenly. 003's wailing has increased in intensity.

"They died willingly," 004 offered his consolation. And then to himself, he said something regarding Hilde. Whatever his comment was, it only aggravated the sensory cyborg further.

Off to the side, 001's eyes begin to glow. All of a sudden, 003's body jolts. Her crying stops and she slumps face down in the water. Next, the same happens to 004. 001 ends with 005, who has been holding up Dr. Gilmore. The shock of the cold water in combination with the sudden unexpected loss of his children is enough for the physically ordinary human to pass out.

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Françoise is standing on the balcony of an apartment in Paris. It's a pleasant day; the sun is shining, there are some people talking at a nearby café, and a neighbor is tending to a bed of roses by the entrance to the building. The apartment is not one that she has seen before, but it feels familiar. She hears the door open behind her. Curious to see who has just entered, she leaves the balcony and opens her bedroom door. A radiant light shines through the doorway, so that all she can see is Joe's silhouette. The light then blinds Françoise completely.

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003 is the last to wake up. The sun is bright and there is an ocean breeze. She catches sight of the others surrounding a smouldering pile of…something. She zooms in on the smoking heap. She could just make out the charred uniforms and beak nose.

"Hello there, 003," Gilmore greets her when he sees her approaching.

"Good news," interjected 008, "Thanks to 001, these two survived."

They survived alright. But that's not to say that they didn't sustain serious damage. 002's legs had been reduced to blackened nubs. Both cyborgs had what looked to be fifth-degree burns all over their bodies.

"It's great that they survived and all, but how are we going to repair them?" 007 motioned to the remains of Gilmore's house behind them.

End Note: This chapter was up a lot sooner than I thought it would be. Now that SAT's are over, this momentum might just continue (that's not a guarantee, though).


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